Transistors, such as MOS transistors, IGBTs, or bipolar transistors, are widely used as switches in industrial or automotive applications for switching electrical loads. A transistor can be switched on or off using a drive circuit that receives a control signal, where the control signal determines the desired switching state of the transistor. In so-called SIL (Safety Integrity Level) applications, drive circuits for driving transistors need to meet specific safety requirements that ensure that the switching state of the transistors definitely corresponds to the desired switching state given by the control signal. This provides for secure switching of electrical loads, such as electric motors, lamps, etc. Thus, an unintended switching-on of the load is prevented, and the load is definitely switched off, if required by a user or by a control circuit.